Container handling and transporting system

ABSTRACT

Container handling and transporting system in which the container is lifted onto and removed from the flat deck of a transporting vehicle by the forks of a fork lift truck and registering locating and locking devices are released by spreading movement of the forks of the fork lift truck prior to lifting the container from the flat deck of the vehicle. The locating and locking devices are in the form of domed locators and socket members registrable with the domed locators, and having latch dogs slidably guided therein and biased to have latching engagement with the domed locators. The latch dogs are biased into their latching positions and have follower members engaged by the forks of a fork lift truck and released by outward spreading movement of the forks.

United States Patent Bridge [451 Apr. 23, 1974 CONTAINER HANDLING ANDTRANSPORTING SYSTEM Primary ExaminerRobert G. Sheridan Attorney, Agent,or Firm-Hill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson [57] AltSTRACT Containerhandling and transporting system in which the container is lifted ontoand removed from the flat deck of a transporting vehicle by the forks ofa fork lift truck and registering locating and locking devices arereleased by spreading movement of the forks of the fork lift truck priorto lifting the container from the flat deck of the vehicle. The locatingand locking devices are in the form of domed locators and socket membersregistrable with the domed locators, and having latch dogs slidablyguided therein and biased to have latching engagement with the domedlocators. The latch dogs are biased into their latching positions andhave follower members engaged by the forks of a fork lift truck andreleased by outward spreading movement of the forks.

12 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures :aBosBTs PATENTED APR 2 I974 SHLEI 1 [IF 3RATENTED APR 2 3 I974 SHEET 2 BF 3 SHEET 3 [IF 3 CONTAINER HANDLING ANDTRANSPORTING SYSTEM FIELD OF THE INVENTION Handling and transfer systemfor containers of the type classified in Class 2l4.-

BACKGROUND, SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF INVENTION In my US. Pat. No.3,653,521 dated Apr. 4, 1972, a system and apparatus for locating andlocking freight containers on the flat decks of vehicles is disclosed.This patent shows a locking mechanism for locking the container to thedeck of the vehicle in which release of the locking mechanism is througha cable by inward movement of the forks of a fork lift, or by upwardmovement of the forks of the fork lift. Similar locking and locatingmechanisms are shown in U.S. Pats. to McHugh 2,812,974 and Loomis No.3,014,604. The mechanisms of these patents are all relativelycomplicated, requiring systems of flexible cables and links and leversor links and levers by themselves, to release the containers from thedecks of the vehicles, all of which lend to the complexity of the systemand are subject to frequent maintenance.

The apparatus and system of the present invention provides a simple andreliable locating and locking means for locking containers to the flatdecks of freight transporting vehicles in which a direct connection isprovided from the forks of a fork lift to the locking means, to releasethe locking means by spreading movement of the forks.

An advantage of the present invention is in the simplicity andreliability of the locking and release mechanism, requiring a minimumnumber of parts and releasable by the simple spreading movement of theforks of the fork lift.

Another advantage of the invention is in the use of removable domes onthe deck of the vehicle, registering with sockets on the bottom' of thecontainer, enabling the deck of the vehicle to be cleared for tractorsor loading wheeled containers, in a simple and expeditious manner.

A further advantage in the invention is in the biasing of the latchingmechanism into a locking position and the release of the mechanism byspreading movement of the forks of a fork lift, enabling the latchingmechanism to be self-locking upon the lowering of a container thereonand thereby increasing the reliability and effectiveness of the lockingmechanism.

A still further advantage of the invention is thearrangement of thelocking mechanism to enable plural locating and locking devices to belocated on opposite sides of fork openings and be simultaneouslyreleased by spreading movement of the forks of a fork lift.

A principal object of the invention, therefore, is to provide animproved system and apparatus for locating and locking freightcontainers to the flat decks of transporting vehicles, arranged with aview toward utmost simplicity and efficiency in construction andoperation.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the following description of certain embodiments thereof,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although variationsand modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit andscope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 7 FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic fragmentary topplan view of a base for lifting a container with the top plate for thebase removed.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the base taken substantiallyalong the centers of the locking devices shown in FIG. 1, and showingthe locating members mounted on the flat deck of a vehicle. FIG. 3 is afragmentary side view of the base shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, illustrating afork opening for the forks of a fork lift.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken through a portion of thebase and showing the locking socket and latch mechanism in plan with thelatch mechanism in its locked position.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view somewhat similar to FIG. 4 but showingthe locking mechanism in its released position.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines VI-VI of FIG.4, and showing a locating member extending upwardly from the deck of atransporting vehicle in full and in alignment with a locking socket.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a base showing a modified form inwhichmy invention may be embodied; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially along line VIII-VIII ofFIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF INVENTION In FIGS. 1 to 6 of thedrawings, I have shown a base 10, which may be the base of a container11, of a type adapted to be carried directly on a flat deck 12 of arailway flatcar, trailer, truck or ship.

The container 11 is fragmentarily shown in FIG. 3 and is of a generallybox-like form and may be of various selected lengths and of widthscoforming to or narrower than the width of a railway flatcar or trailer.Said container is only fragmentarily shown in FIG. 3 and may have aclosed top and parallel side and end walls mounted on and extendingupwardly from the base 10, and is of a well known form, so need notherein be shown or described further.

The base 10 is herein shown as being the base of a container, but may bea separate base or platform used to lift and lower a container and lockthe container to the flat deck of a freight transporting vehicle. Thebase, therefore, is rugged and is shown as comprising parallel spacedside frame members 13, which may be channels, with the webs thereofextending along the outside of the base, and end frame members 15connecting said side frame members together, at their opposite ends. Thebase also includes a plurality of parallel spaced transverse channels 16extending between the side frame members 13 and spacing said side framemembers apart and rigidifying the base structure.

Certain of the transverse channels 16 in alignment with one side ofopenings 17 in the webs of the side frame members 13 and with saidopenings forming fork openings for the forks 18 of a fork lift (notshown). Extending from the opposite side of the opening 17 from thechannel 16 are aligned channels 19 terminating at their inner ends intogusseting channels 20 connected at their inner ends torelatively shortlongitudinally extcnding channels 21, extending from a transversechannel 16 on the opposite side of the fork opening from the firstmentioned channel 16.

The channels 19, 20 and 21 define a receptacle 22 for a locking socketmember 23, mounted between said channels and opening to a fork opening.The socket member 23 will hereinafter more clearly appear as thisspecification proceeds. The end and side frame members and transversechannels 16 are connected together by a top plate 24, which may form abottom plate for the container, where the base is the base of acontainer. The bottom of the base is shown as being open.

The deck 12 of the freight transporting vehicle may be a conventionaldeck of a railway flatcar or trailer. Said deck 12 is diagrammaticallyshown as having a flat top plate 25 and the conventional end, side andcenter beams suitably connected together and is no part of the presentinvention so need not herein be shown or described in detail.

Abutting the bottom of the top plate 25 of the flat deck 12 are theflanges of flanged collars 26, centered along the longitudinal centerline of the deck, and welded or otherwise secured to the bottom of saidtop plate 25. The collar portions of the flanged collars 26 formmountings for shanks 27 of locating and locking members 29 registrablewith the sockets in the socket locating and locking members 23 andsuitably retained to said collars. The locating members 29 are shown asbeing in the form of domes but need not necessarily be domes and may beconical, pyramidal or of any other suitable form. Each dome 29 has anoutwardly opening horizontally extending locking slot 32, the inner wallof which extends across the cylindrical wall 30 in the form of a chordof the circle defined by the cylindrical wall 30. The slot 32, as shownin FIG. 6, has a top wall 33 extending horizontally and a downwardlyinclined bottom wall 35 inclined downwardly from the inner end of saidslot. The slot 32 is thus so formed as to be readily accessible to alatch dog 36, shown in FIG. 4 as being in the form of a blade extendingacross the interior wall of the socket member when the latch dog is inits latching position. The dome 29 and slot 32 thus serve as a keeperfrom the latch dog 36 to lock the base to the vehicle, with thecontainer 11 thereon.

The shanks 27 and the domes 29 may be detachably secured to the collars26 in a suitable manner, or may be of such a length that they will beretained to the collars by the weight of the base and container, itbeing understood that the domes are solid castings or forgings and arerelatively heavy, so will be retained to the deck 12 as the latch dogsare released, and the base 10 is lifted from the deck.

It should here be understood that the base 10 may be provided with anysuitable number of domes determined by the number and length of thecontainers to be retained to the vehicle. As for example, the deck 12may carry three 27 containers. In such a case, six domes will beprovided. with two domes for each container. It may also carry two 40aligned containers in which case four domes will be provided. Moreover,the collars 26 may be located along the deck in'such a manner that thevehicle may carry two 27' containers and one 40 container or three 27'containers, where the car is 96' in length.

Referring now in particular to the socket members 23, each socket memberis in the form of a collar having an interior cylindrical wall 37 withbosses 39 extending laterally of the collar in opposite directions. Saidcollars abut the bottom of the plate 24 and are secured to thelongitudinal channels 21 as by machine screws 40, extending through thewebs of the channels 21, and threaded in said collars on opposite sidesof guide passageways 41 extending along said bosses. The guidepassageways 41 may be drilled passageways and serve as slidable guidesfor rods 42, extending from opposite sides of said collars, and slidablyguided therein and extending within the fork openings 17, when the latchdog 36 is in its locking position.

The latch dog 36 is in the form of a blade movable along a slot 43 inthe collar or socket member 23, and extending across the interiorcylindrical wall of said socket member with its inner end forming achord with respect to the cylindrical wall 37. The blade forming thelatch dog 36 is shown as formed integrally with a yoke 45, having bosses46 extending along the'rods 42 and abutting shouldered portions thereofand retained in abutting engagement therewith as by nuts 47 threaded onsaid rods. A follower yoke 49 having bosses 50 at its opposite ends ismounted on opposite ends of the rods 42 from the yoke 45, on said bosses50, and is retained into engagement with shouldered portions of saidrods (not shown) as by nuts 51, threaded on said rods. Biasing springs52 encircle the rods 42 and are interposed between the bosses 39 of thesocket members 23 and the bosses 50 of the follower yoke 49 to bias thelatch dog 36 inthe position shown in FIG. 4. The springs 52 are shown asbeing compression springs which should be capable of being loaded to aload of 400'lbs. each, to provide sufficient force to retain the latchdog 36 into locking engagement with the notch 32 of the dome 29. Thefollower yoke 49 has a follower face terminating into a peak 54 engagedby the fork 18 of a fork lift truck and moving the rods 42 and latch dog36 against the compression springs 52, to release the latch, byspreading movement of the forks of the fork lift truck along the forkopenings 17.

The blade of the latch dog 36 has a top horizontal face 55 rounded atits inner end and terminating into a downwardly inclined face 56. Theface 56 engaging the hemispherical wall 31 of the dome 29 as the base 10is lowered onto the deck 12 is cammed inwardly by said hemisphericalwall 31 to come into locking engagement with the notch 32. Outwardmovement of the latch dog into its release position is limited by agusset reinforcing the yoke 49, as shown in FIG. 5. g

It may thus be seen that a simplified form of selflocking, latching andrelease means for aligning a base, which may be the base of a containeron the flat deck of a freight transporting vehicle and locking the basethereto has been provided, biased into its locking position, andreleased by spreading movement of the forks of the fork lift truckrelative to each other, prior to lift.- ing the base by the forks of thefork lift truck.

Referring now in particular to the form of the invention illustrated inFIGS. 7 and 8, in the modified form of the invention shown in thesefigures, socket members 59 and 60 are provided on opposite sides of eachfor opening17, to provide four aligned locking and socket members foreach container, in which the latch dogs on each side of the forkopenings are simultaneously released by spreading movement of the forksof a fork lift truck. In this form of the invention, the base is of thesame general construction as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, so the samepart numbers will be applied to parts common to those in the form of theinvention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6.

The socket member 59 is like that shown in FIGS. 1 through 6, so thesame reference numerals will be applied to the same parts as in FIGS. 1through 6 and a description thereof need not be repeated herein. Therods 42 have a yoke 49a secured thereto by the nuts 51 and abutted bycompression springs 52 encircling said rods, as in the form of theinvention shown in FIGS. 1 through 6. The yoke 49a has a follower face54a engaged by a fork 18 of the fork lift truck and moved into releaseposition by lateral spreading movement of said fork.

The yoke 49a and follower face 54a form one wall of an upwardly openingchannel, extending across the fork opening, and having a bottom web 61and a flange 62 extending upwardly therefrom on the opposite side ofsaid channel from the follower face 54a. A latch dog 63 has a verticalleg 65 extending along the outside of the flange 62 and secured theretoas by machine screws 66. The latch dog 63 is in the form of a blade andsaid latch dog and vertical leg 65 extend through an opening 67 in theweb of the channel 16. The latch dog 63 is of the same general form asthe latch dog 36 and slidably extends through a slot 69 in the wall ofthe locking socket 60, and has locking engagement with an associateddome 29 in the same manner the latch dog 36 has locking engagement withits dome 29.

It may here be seen that with this construction, as a fork 18 of a forklift truck is spread to move laterally of the truck, it will engage thefollower face 54a of the yoke 49a and simultaneously move the two latchdogs 36 and 63 into release positions to release the base from the flatdeck of the flat car. The present latching arrangement thus providesdual protection and has the advantage of locking the base and containerto four instead of two domes, projecting upwardly from the deck of theflat bed vehicle, and the two latch dogs on opposite sides of the centerof the vehicle are simultaneously released, by a single spreadingoperation of the forks of the fork lift truck.

I claim as my invention:

1. A container handling and transporting system comprising, i

a vehicle having a flat deck,

a fork lift having laterally spaced spreadable forks for lifting thecontainer,

at least two longitudinally aligned locating and locking membersprojecting upwardly from said deck,

a base for removably supporting a container on said flat deck and havingparallel spaced fork openings extending thereacross,

socket members carried by said base and having downwardly openingsockets registrable with said locating and locking members,

latch dogs guided in said socket members for movement in a directionlongitudinally of said base and biased for interengagement with saidlocking and locating members, and

release means for said latch dogs for releasing said latch dogs fromsaid locking and locating members by spreading movement of the forks ofthe fork lift, to accommodate the forks to lift the base upon upwardlifting movement thereof, including guide member's guided in each socketmember along opposite sides of the socket members,

means connecting the guide members with an associated latch dog, to movesaid latch dog into its latching and release positions,

a yoke connecting the ends of said guide members on the opposite side ofsaid guide members from said latch dog and extending into the forkopening,

means biasing said yoke to extend into the fork opening and form afollower surface cammed by spreading movement of the fork of a fork lifttruck to release said latch dog from interengagement with the associatedlocking and locating member.

2. The container handling and transporting apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe means biasing the guide members to bias the latch dog to extendwithin the socket of the socket member to have interengagement with anassociated locking and locating member comprise springs encircling saidguide members and interposed between said socket member and said yoke.

3. The container handling and transporting system of claim 2,

wherein the latch dogs are in the form of blades slidably guided in thesocket members and biased to extend within the sockets of said socketmembers,

' and wherein the locking and locating members" are in the form of domesextending upwardly of the deck of the vehicle and each having a latchopening therein forming a keeper for the associated latch dog.

4. The container handling and transporting system of claim 1,

wherein the socket members are in the form of collars having socketopenings therein and bosses extending from opposite sides of saidcollars,

wherein the release means for the latch dogs comprise rods slidablyguided in said collars, means mounting said latch dogs on said rods formovement therewith, yokes extending across the opposite ends of saidrods from said latch dogs and mounted thereon, said yokes havingfollower faces extending into the fork openings and cammed by spreadingmovement of the forks of the fork lift truck to move the latch dogs outof socket openings of said collars by camming engagement of the forks ofa fork lift with said follower faces of said yokes and spreadingmovement of said forks.

5. The container handling and transporting apparatus of claim 4,

wherein each latch dog is in the form of a blade slidably guided in theassociated collar to extend across the socket opening in said collar ina chordal direction when the latch dog is in its latching position, and

wherein the means biasing said latch dogs in their latching positionscomprise springs encircling said rods and interposed between said bossesand yokes.

6. The container handling and transporting system of claim 2,

wherein two aligned socket members are carried in said base on oppositesides of each fork opening,

wherein locking and locating members are provided on the flat deck ofthe vehicle for registry with said socket members as said base islowered onto the deck of the vehicle,

wherein connected latch dogs are slidably guided in said socket membersto have latching interengagement with said locking and locating memberson opposite sides of the fork opening,

wherein the yoke is operatively connected with each of said latch dogsand has a follower face cammed by lateral spreading movement of a singlefork of a fork lift truck to simultaneously release said latch dog frominterengagement with its associated locking and locating member.

7. the container handling and transporting apparatus of claim 6, whereinthe yoke defines one flange of a channel-like member of a widthsubstantially equal to the width of the fork opening, and wherein alatch dog opposite said channel-like member from said follower faceslidably extends within an associated aligned collar for slidableengagement therewith.

8. In a removable container for lading and in combination with a flatdeck vehicle having at least two longitudinally spaced locking andlocating members projecting upwardly therefrom, having latch openingstherein, and a fork lift having laterally shiftable forks lifting thecontainer from and placing the container on the vehicle deck,

said container having a base having parallel side beams,

end beams extending across said side beams at opposite ends thereof,

parallel spaced transverse beams extending between said side beams,openings in said side beams opening to the spaces between certain ofsaid transverse beams and forming fork openings for the forks of a forklift truck,

said openings being of sufficient width to accommodate spreadingmovement of the forks when in said fork openings,

socket members in the spaces between certain of said transverse beamsand having vertically extending sockets, latch dogs slidably guided insaid socket members and biased to extend into the open portions thereof,yokes in said fork openings, having follower faces adapted to to beengaged by the forks ofa fork lift truck, operative connections betweensaid yokes and latch dogs, moving said latch dogs into release positionsout of the sockets of said socket members upon lateral spreadingmovement of the forks of the fork lift, to release the container fromthe vehicle deck by upward lifting movement of the forks, includingbosses projecting from opposite sides of said socket members, guidemembers slidably guided in said bosses and connected with said latchdogs at one end and with said yokes at their opposite end, and

spring means interposed between said bosses and yokes and biasing saidyokes to extend into said fork openings and said latches to extend intothe sockets of said socket members.

9. The removable container of claim 8,

wherein the latch dogs are in the form of blades extending across thesockets of said socket members when in their locking positions andconnected at their opposite ends to said guide members slidably guidedalong the outsides of said socket members.

10. The removable container of claim 8, wherein the socket members arein the form of collars having bosses projecting from opposite sidesthereof, wherein means are provided for securing said collars to saidbase, wherein the guide members are parallel laterally aligned rodsslidably guided in said bosses, wherein the yokes extend across saidrods and are rigidly mounted thereon and the blades have boss membersspaced laterally therefrom, mounted on said rods, to move said bladesinto released positions as said yokes are cammed by spreading movementof the forks of the fork lift. 7 11. The removable container of claim 8,including first and second aligned socket members carried on said baseon opposite sides of each fork opening,

said socket members each having vertically extending socket portionsregistrable with aligned locating and locking members projectingupwardly from the flat bed of the vehicle, wherein latch dogs areslidably guided in each of said socket members and are biased into theopen socket portions of said socket members, wherein means are providedfor connecting said latch dogs together, and wherein a single fork ineach fork opening is effective to simultaneously move said latch dogs onopposite sides of the fork opening into release positions, uponspreading movement thereof. 12. The removable container of claim 11,

wherein the operative connection from the yoke to one latch dog includesparallel spaced rods guided for movement longitudinally of the containerand forming a mounting means at one end for a yoke and a mounting meansat their opposite ends for a latch dog, and wherein spring meansencircling said rods bias said latch dogs into release positions,wherein the operative connection to the latch dog guided in the firstsocket member to the latch dog guided in the second socket member is inthe form of a channel having a base, one flange defined by said yoke andan opposite parallel flange spaced from said one flange a distancesufficient to accommodate the fork of a fork lift to pass therethrough,

and wherein the latch dog slidably guided in the second socket member ismounted on and extends from said opposite parallel flange to move inunison with said first mentioned latch dog.

1. A container handling and transporting system comprising, a vehiclehaving a flat deck, a fork lift having laterally spaced spreadable forksfor lifting the container, at least two longitudinally aligned locatingand locking members projecting upwardly from said deck, a base forremovably supporting a container on said flat deck and having parallelspaced fork openings extending thereacross, socket members carried bysaid base and having downwardly opening sockets registrable with saidlocating and locking members, latch dogs guided in said socket membersfor movement in a direction longitudinally of said base and biased forinterengagement with said locking and locating members, and releasemeans for said latch dogs for releasing said latch dogs from saidlocking and locating members by spreading movement of the forks of thefork lift, to accommodate the forks to lift the base upon upward liftingmovement thereof, including guide members guided in each socket memberalong opposite sides of the socket members, means connecting the guidemembers with an associated latch dog, to move said latch dog into itslatching and release positions, a yoke connecting the ends of said guidemembers on the opposite side of said guide members from said latch dogand extending into the fork opening, means biasing said yoke to extendinto the fork opening and form a follower surface cammed by spreadingmovement of the fork of a fork lift truck to release said latch dog frominterengagement with the associated locking and locating member.
 2. Thecontainer handling and transporting apparatus of claim 1, wherein themeans biasing the guide members to bias the latch dog to extend withinthe socket of the socket member to have interengagement with anassociated locking and locating member comprise springs encircling saidguide members and interposed between said socket member and said yoke.3. The container handling and transporting system of claim 2, whereinthe latch dogs are in the form of blades slidably guided in the socketmembers and biased to extend within the sockets of said socket members,and wherein the locking and locating members are in the form of domesextending upwardly of the deck of the vehicle and each having a latchopening therein forming a keeper for the associated latch dog.
 4. Thecontainer handling and transporting system of claim 1, wherein thesocket members are in the form of collars having socket openings thereinand bosses extending from opposite sides of said collars, wherein therelease means for the latch dogs comprise rods slidably guided in saidcollars, means mounting said latch dogs on said rods for movementtherewith, yokes extending across the opposite ends of said rods fromsaid latch dogs and mounted thereon, said yokes having follower facesextending into the fork openings and cammed by spreading movement of theforks of the fork lift truck to move the latch dogs out of socketopenings of said collars by camming engagement of the forks of a forklift with said follower faces of said yokes and spreading movement ofsaid forks.
 5. The container handling and transporting apparatus ofclaim 4, whErein each latch dog is in the form of a blade slidablyguided in the associated collar to extend across the socket opening insaid collar in a chordal direction when the latch dog is in its latchingposition, and wherein the means biasing said latch dogs in theirlatching positions comprise springs encircling said rods and interposedbetween said bosses and yokes.
 6. The container handling andtransporting system of claim 2, wherein two aligned socket members arecarried in said base on opposite sides of each fork opening, whereinlocking and locating members are provided on the flat deck of thevehicle for registry with said socket members as said base is loweredonto the deck of the vehicle, wherein connected latch dogs are slidablyguided in said socket members to have latching interengagement with saidlocking and locating members on opposite sides of the fork opening,wherein the yoke is operatively connected with each of said latch dogsand has a follower face cammed by lateral spreading movement of a singlefork of a fork lift truck to simultaneously release said latch dog frominterengagement with its associated locking and locating member.
 7. thecontainer handling and transporting apparatus of claim 6, wherein theyoke defines one flange of a channel-like member of a widthsubstantially equal to the width of the fork opening, and wherein alatch dog opposite said channel-like member from said follower faceslidably extends within an associated aligned collar for slidableengagement therewith.
 8. In a removable container for lading and incombination with a flat deck vehicle having at least two longitudinallyspaced locking and locating members projecting upwardly therefrom,having latch openings therein, and a fork lift having laterallyshiftable forks lifting the container from and placing the container onthe vehicle deck, said container having a base having parallel sidebeams, end beams extending across said side beams at opposite endsthereof, parallel spaced transverse beams extending between said sidebeams, openings in said side beams opening to the spaces between certainof said transverse beams and forming fork openings for the forks of afork lift truck, said openings being of sufficient width to accommodatespreading movement of the forks when in said fork openings, socketmembers in the spaces between certain of said transverse beams andhaving vertically extending sockets, latch dogs slidably guided in saidsocket members and biased to extend into the open portions thereof,yokes in said fork openings, having follower faces adapted to to beengaged by the forks of a fork lift truck, operative connections betweensaid yokes and latch dogs, moving said latch dogs into release positionsout of the sockets of said socket members upon lateral spreadingmovement of the forks of the fork lift, to release the container fromthe vehicle deck by upward lifting movement of the forks, includingbosses projecting from opposite sides of said socket members, guidemembers slidably guided in said bosses and connected with said latchdogs at one end and with said yokes at their opposite end, and springmeans interposed between said bosses and yokes and biasing said yokes toextend into said fork openings and said latches to extend into thesockets of said socket members.
 9. The removable container of claim 8,wherein the latch dogs are in the form of blades extending across thesockets of said socket members when in their locking positions andconnected at their opposite ends to said guide members slidably guidedalong the outsides of said socket members.
 10. The removable containerof claim 8, wherein the socket members are in the form of collars havingbosses projecting from opposite sides thereof, wherein means areprovided for securing said collars to said base, wherein the guidemembers are parallel laterally aligned rods slidably guided in saidbosses, wherein the yokes extend across said rods and are rigidlymounted thereon and the blades have boss members spaced laterallytherefrom, mounted on said rods, to move said blades into releasedpositions as said yokes are cammed by spreading movement of the forks ofthe fork lift.
 11. The removable container of claim 8, including firstand second aligned socket members carried on said base on opposite sidesof each fork opening, said socket members each having verticallyextending socket portions registrable with aligned locating and lockingmembers projecting upwardly from the flat bed of the vehicle, whereinlatch dogs are slidably guided in each of said socket members and arebiased into the open socket portions of said socket members, whereinmeans are provided for connecting said latch dogs together, and whereina single fork in each fork opening is effective to simultaneously movesaid latch dogs on opposite sides of the fork opening into releasepositions, upon spreading movement thereof.
 12. The removable containerof claim 11, wherein the operative connection from the yoke to one latchdog includes parallel spaced rods guided for movement longitudinally ofthe container and forming a mounting means at one end for a yoke and amounting means at their opposite ends for a latch dog, and whereinspring means encircling said rods bias said latch dogs into releasepositions, wherein the operative connection to the latch dog guided inthe first socket member to the latch dog guided in the second socketmember is in the form of a channel having a base, one flange defined bysaid yoke and an opposite parallel flange spaced from said one flange adistance sufficient to accommodate the fork of a fork lift to passtherethrough, and wherein the latch dog slidably guided in the secondsocket member is mounted on and extends from said opposite parallelflange to move in unison with said first mentioned latch dog.